RIGHT TO LIVE FREE FROM INTIMIDATION, FORCED EXPULSION MUST BE RESPECTED,
SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL, FOLLOWING REPORTS OF VIOLENCE IN NORTHERN IRAQ
The following statement was issued today by the spokesman for
Secretary-General Kofi Annan:The Secretary-General is concerned about reports of murder, looting and the forced expulsion of Arabs in northern Iraq.� Media reports, as well as eyewitness accounts from Human Rights Watch, indicate widespread intimidation and displacement in and around the city of Kirkuk and in other areas.
The Secretary-General is concerned that, unless the security vacuum that now exists is quickly addressed, there is a very real prospect of population displacement in Iraq.� The Secretary-General appeals to all concerned to respect fundamental human rights principles, including the right to live free from intimidation and forced expulsion.
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